A worker reported the discovery to the plantation manager who reasoned that the baby’s mother could still be in the area and might come to fetch him. She had been sighted in the plantation several times during the previous two months.

And so, the little ape was left where he was, terrified and alone as darkness fell. It was only when he was found in the same place the following day that we were notified and our team set off straight away to rescue him.

It is heartbreaking to think of that tiny baby alone and afraid when he should have been curled up in the arms of his mother. We dread to think what had happened to her. She would certainly never have abandoned her baby.

Female orangutans are fiercely protective of their infants and never leave them willingly. Tragically, it is most likely that she had been killed by hunters or suffered some other awful fate.

We are haunted by the look of deep sorrow in that little baby’s eyes and the sound of him crying weakly as our vet examined him. He clung to Sabri, our orangutan keeper, just as he must have clung to his mother until she was taken from him. He has suffered terrible trauma and loss and will need constant comfort and care during the weeks ahead to help him recover.

Our team have called the little ape Rahman. He is now in quarantine in our orangutan rescue centre in Ketapang, West Borneo, and receiving emergency treatment for dehydration, as well as a nutritious diet to build up his strength. We have given him a huge soft teddy bear to cuddle up to in place of the warm body of his mother.

The medical team estimates that little Rahman is less than a year old. This poor baby must be terrified. Please help give him a chance at a life up in the trees where he belongs, we cannot help him without you.